Seize the Day

What would you do if I promised, just by reading this article, I would give you $1,440 to spend today and then each and every day after? What would you do with that money? Would you go out and buy something that you have been saving for, or would you spend it on the essentials like groceries and bills? One thing is for certain, you wouldn’t say no – you wouldn’t think twice about accepting the money and spending it on something you need.

Each and every day we are given a small fortune just like this, and it is up to us to choose how we spend it. Each morning when you wake you are given 1440 minutes until the same time tomorrow, and the possibilities about how we use these moments are endless.

For some of us we choose to use that time reading or writing or painting or thinking. Yet, others choose to use many of those moments gossiping or whining or making excuses as to why things haven’t worked out like they should. Ponder for a moment: which of these two is the most productive? Which way do you choose to use your time? Then, even more importantly, if you were told that you had a limited number of these moments left, would you change how you are using them?

It was Steve Jobs who said:

“For the past 33 years, I have looked in the mirror every morning and asked myself: ‘If today were the last day of my life, would I want to do what I am about to do today?’ And whenever the answer has been ‘No’ for too many days in a row, I know I need to change something.”

Taking a step back and looking at how we spend our time is something we rarely ever do; however, it is important if we want to make sure that we are working towards the things that matter. But even more importantly: how do we help our children to employ this idea in their own lives? How can we show them that life is for the taking rather than sitting idly as a spectator?

It is important to model this from a young age because things don’t get any easier as they get older! Parents of teenagers are too familiar with the amount of time they spent with their heads buried in their digital devices. They often wondered to themselves “what could be so enthralling so as to take up almost every moment of their waking hours?”

It is a struggle that many parents can associate with, and helping your child to live in the moment rather than vicariously through a digital device is an enormous challenge. Here are a few ideas that will help your family to ‘seize the day’:

Differentiate: Distinguish between pursuits that are important and those that don’t deserve priority in our lives. It is easy to quickly check on what’s happening on social media only to find an hour has slipped by without notice

Prioritise: There are always things to take up our time and attention, in fact a modern day curse is the tug on our time from all angles. Learning to identify what is important to get to today as well as this week is a necessity

Manage: Showing your children how to manage their time so as to get the most out of the day is another essential skill for success

Remember, every day is a new start regardless of what happened the day prior. It doesn’t matter what has gone before as long as you choose to make the most of what is on the road ahead. Even the most difficult of circumstances can be overcome with the right attitude. The power is in your hands. What are you going to do with the time bestowed upon you today?

About the author: Tim Heinecke

Tim Heinecke is Australia’s number one student engagement guru. Being a father to four school-aged children as well as having been a school teacher for more than 20 years gives him insights into better ways to inspire young people. Tim is the founder of the Student Engagement Institute and he has shown thousands of teachers and parents how to better engage children in their own educational journey.